Losing Two Breeds Each Week

Domestic animals are becoming extinct at the rate of two breeds per
week. One thousand domestic species have vanished in the past 100
years.

Scientists say commercial farmers rely
on certain species that produce the most meat or milk. As worldwide
agriculture becomes more standardized, these economically productive
breeds are adopted all over the world, often making indigenous animals
unnecessary.

Poultry and Pigs Predominate

The international pig and chicken industries rely on the fewest
varieties. But hundreds of different types of buffalo, yaks, ducks,
goats, sheep, cattle, and ostriches are also in danger.

About one third of the 259 recorded types of domestic farm animals in the U.S. and Canada could disappear soon.

Danger in Uniformity

Using the same breeds all over the world is potentially hazardous
because a species that thrives in one climate may not do as well in
another. It also may lack resistance to local diseases.

If a specific species of animal or plant becomes infected with a
disease, it could wipe out entire industries. For example, the Dutch
elm trees once ubiquitous in American
cities were nearly wiped out by disease in the 1950s.

More diversity has been proven to slow the spread of illness. A
Chinese experiment recently showed that certain types of contagious
plant disease spread more slowly when farmers planted more than one
variety of rice.